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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder about smart tvs

42 replies

Creeper8 · 28/08/2018 22:22

I need a new tv. Was wondering about smart tvs but are they worth the extra? anyone got one? are normal tvs just as good?

OP posts:
OutPinked · 28/08/2018 22:27

Aren’t all TVs smart now? Confused

FannyAdmin · 28/08/2018 22:29

What do smart TVs even do? Do you not need a box anymore if you have one? Do they listen to your conversations and post them on the internet? 🤔

tenbob · 28/08/2018 22:30

If you watch Netflix or Prime, it's worth it
Or if you want to watch YouTube on a proper telly rather than laptop

Phillipa12 · 28/08/2018 22:31

I have just upgraded my 15 year old tv to a smart tv and love it. I went for a basic jvc model as i still have young children who like to poke the screen, and have just signed up for netflix after only having freesat. Its a winner allround esp being able to screen my you tube exercise videos on the tv rather than my tablet. Am sure my eldest will be able to figure everything else that the tv does in a few more weeks!

Original poster
Creeper8 · 28/08/2018 22:31

No I dont think they are all smart. Im not even sure tbh just think they have apps on like youtube and netflix?? And can connect to the internet. I dont have sky so was wondering if its a good alternative or just a regular tv?

OP posts:
RoseMartha · 28/08/2018 22:34

We have a small smart tv. It has built in freeview and then it connects to internet and you can use you tube on it and netflix and amazon prime and now tv and various other ones . To be honest as we currently have sky we dont really use much of the other bits . I sometimes use prime if there is enough bandwidth but i usually find it better to watch prime on a tablet

notdaddycool · 28/08/2018 22:35

You’ll probably have it for 10 years, more and more tv will be streamed by then I’d get one. I’d guess most are smart TBH; unless it costs loads more and you really think you won’t use it. Saves loads of little boxes here and there too.

YerAuntFanny · 28/08/2018 22:37

We have a Smart TV from Tesco.

The apps are shit unless you pay £££ we also have a now TV box and Fire stick.

MrsPreston11 · 28/08/2018 22:44

We have a smart TV in our bedroom. Love it because bacially we only watch Netflix and the remote has a huge Netflix button on it so that’s very easy. Also all the catch up channels were built in.

TV in the front room has a firestick on it so that makes it smart too.

So even if you don’t get a TV that is smart as long as it has and HDMI port you can easily make it so for £40.

garethsouthgatesmrs · 28/08/2018 22:46

All we watch now is Netflix or BBC iPlayer. Etc. A smart tv would be a must in this house..

SpoonBlender · 28/08/2018 22:47

Almost all tellies over 32" are smart these days - which does just mean it can connect to the Internet and run apps (youtube, netflix, iplayer and that sort of thing). You also usually get live TV pause and scheduled recording, if you bang a £20 USB stick in one of the sockets round the back.

IWantMyHatBack · 28/08/2018 22:47

I love mine. Its got YouTube, netflix and amazon prime, iplayer, 4od etc. I've used chromecast/firestick/now tv box in the past, but it's so much better having it all built into the TV

Firesuit · 28/08/2018 22:56

I think it's a bit of a non-issue whether a TV is "Smart" or not. All it means is that if your tv watching tastes are sufficiently simple, you don't need an add-on box/device which would give you everything you need that isn't built-in.

Having said that, I do have a special programmable remote control that controls all my devices. I suppose having a Smart TV could be a simple way of not having to use more than one remote control, for some people. (Wouldn't work for me, as I need Sky Q and BT Sport, and have a surround sound system, so need to control three devices simultaneously.)

Notthemessiah · 28/08/2018 22:57

Better to get a non-smart TV and a separate box like a fire TV or Roku. TV manufacturers aren't the best at keeping their Os or apps updated and so some on older smart tvs have already stopped working.

welshmist · 28/08/2018 23:03

Love my smart tv for netflix, prime, son bought me a sound bar which is also great.

caoraich · 28/08/2018 23:04

Since we got ours we've cancelled Virgin (that we had connected to a very old non smart tv) and are saving a fair amount of money.
It comes with freeview and a Netflix and Amazon prime button on the remote. We were already paying for Prime for the postage bit anyway. It's also handy for casting YouTube and has various apps.
We can use our phones as remote controls so it has also negated the "where's the bloody remote!?!?" Arguments Grin
I think most TVs are smart now anyway?

liz70 · 28/08/2018 23:06

"If you watch Netflix or Prime, it's worth it
Or if you want to watch YouTube on a proper telly rather than laptop"

A £30 Chromecast or similar casting gizmo, connected to a non smart tv, sorts that out. We have a CC with our 12 year old Panasonic tv that lets us watch Youtube, iPlayer, All4, ITVHub, My5 etc., film rentals viaTalkTalk, and subscriber channels if we chose to pay for them (we don't), basically anything with the cast symbol.

sarcasmisnotthelowestformofwit · 28/08/2018 23:12

if you are buying a new TV it's a no brainer.

argentino · 28/08/2018 23:55

We have 4 (my children are going through their anti-social teen years) and personally, I think they're a complete rip-off. Most of the time I will find something to watch on Netflix/Amazon Prime on the laptop and then stream it using Chromecast as it's so much quicker to type.

PinguDance · 29/08/2018 01:16

I love mine as it’s super easy to use and I have my subscriptions like now tv/amazon prime and Iplayer/40d all on there and I can rent films off google play - I don’t even have a tv aerial cos I don’t feel I need one. The one downside is if I want to watch channel 4 live I have to do it on a laptop as you can’t stream live channel 4 and I don’t get film four. However my parents have a different one and it is much less user friendly than mine. Mine is a Samsung. Personally find it much more convenient than casting from a lap top but I don’t often look up you tube vids on there which does take bloody ages to type.

liz70 · 29/08/2018 07:22

"Personally find it much more convenient than casting from a lap top"

We use our Chromecast with either my tabet, which is always plugged in and sat near the tv, or DH's phone. It's simply a matter of pressing one or two on-screen buttons. Couldn't be easier imo.

Pinkyyy · 29/08/2018 08:24

We bought a smart TV and cancelled sky shortly after as we didn't see the need in it anymore, it has all the different streaming services and Freeview built in

InProgress · 29/08/2018 08:36

I love mine. I got an lg smart TV as it has now tv on as well as YouTube, freeview, BBC i player, channel 5 catch up, Netflix and the internet. You can also tell it to change channels by speaking into the remote. It's very entertaining as my DCs drop their voice to say "Yoou-tuuuube" into it.

jay55 · 29/08/2018 09:29

I love mine. Sometimes gymnastics competitions are streamed on YouTube and it’s great to watch them on a big tv. Also iPlayer and Netflix. Annoyingly mine doesn’t have the channel 4 app.

pointythings · 29/08/2018 09:41

If you're buying a new one it really is worth it. We've had ours for 3 years now and we've ditched Sky because we found ourselves only watching Netflix and iPlayer. They aren't expensive any more either, it isn't new technology.

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